Hey guys! Wow it’s been FOREVER since I last posted something, sorry I’ve just not been in any mood to post, and also really lazy?? Raya was so tiring ugh I felt like retreating from everything and everyone for a while. Also, I’ve been watching Season 3 of Crazy Ex Girlfriend on Netflix (ugh I LOVE the series, but this season is particularly dark haha).

Anyway I wanted to tell you guys about this halal fusion mala place I recently visited called Le Fuse. So apparently the owners had their original branch at Middle Road under the name Mala Hui Cui Guan – the ingredients were halal and the place was muslim-owned, BUT they served alcohol which made some of the patrons uncomfortable. I guess not the ideal place to bring your old folks too, they’ll be all “eh apa ni ada beer semua ni” LOL. So yeah they decided to vacate and restart at Lim Tua Tow Road as Le Fuse!

The exterior which opens out to a public carpark. Quite convenient for drivers!

The interior. That Fuse projection on the wall makes it look like a club lol.

Counter

This is the carpark on the outside; quite nice right.

Here is a look at the menu for you guys!

There were 7 of us so we got to try quite a bit of stuff. My friend and I actually came early to sneakily try a couple of starters first (HAHA so greedy). We tried first the Mala Tofu Skin (S$6.80):

Mala Tofu Skin (S$6.80) – 6/10

Man, this was disappointing because firstly it wasn’t at all chilled; it was maybe like 2 degrees above room temperature haha. Also there wasn’t much of a texture/bite to the tofu strips. Added to that, the sauce, which wasn’t flavourful enough to begin with, was in such small quantities and did not manage to coat the tofu skin well. I hope next time they’ll improve this dish, shouldn’t be too hard! 6/10

Next up we tried the Chong Qing Diced Chicken (S$9.80), comprising deep fried diced chicken tossed in with dried chilli and sichuan peppercorns.

Chong Qing Diced Chicken (S$9.80) – 8/10

A close-up

Okay YUMMMM this was such a good dish. I loved the texture of the chicken; it was so so crispy. The mala flavour wasn’t too strong unless you bit into the peppercorns, which is not ideal. I wish it had been incorporated into the chicken seasoning somehow, but it’s a small complaint. The dish was also borderline over-salted but I have quite a high salt tolerance so I could not stop eating lol. Pair it with the delicious plum (PRUNE??) juice and it’s all good. 9/10

We were also swayed into ordering the very trendy Salted Egg Calamari (S$9.80):

Salted Egg Calamari (S$9.80) – 6.5/10

Mm not my favourite of the lot; the salted egg taste was not to my liking, and the texture of the batter was a little hard when it should’ve been light and crisp. My favourite salted egg calamari dishes are also the ones with a creamy salted egg sauce though, instead of the battered ones. 6.5/10

Another dish we ordered was the Dengdeng Beef Sichuan (S$10.80), comprising thin crispy slices of beef coated in Sichuan sauce:

Dengdeng Beef Sichuan (S$10.80) – 7/10

Okay to be frank I don’t remember much about this dish, and neither did my friend when I asked him! I remember thinking it was okay – not terribly memorable, but not bad either. It was a little like those crispy beef balado you get at some Nasi Padang stores. I remember wishing it had a bit more of that mala sichuan numbing taste, but that’s about it. 7/10

Okay so finally we moved onto our main noodle dishes. I went for the Mala Tang (S$12.80) which is the spicy mala soup version. It came with pre-selected ingredients comprising sausage, chicken luncheon meat, lotus root, broccoli, cauliflower (BOOO), and that fungus ear mushroom thingy:

Mala Tang Soup with Noodles (S$12.80) – 7/10

Oh no I terribly wanted to like this but I found it way too oily and not spicy enough! I got it in level 2 but would have def preferred level 3 I think. I also felt like it was just regular spicy and not mala-spicy. When I spoke to the owner towards the end of our meal, he did mention that he went easy on the mala spice because not a lot of the Muslim crowd likes that numbing spice taste, but that we could customise our order and indicate our preference when putting in our order. I also didn’t like that they had pre-selected ingredients. I much prefer being able to select my own ingredients at those Kopitiam mala shops lol. 7/10

One of us went with the dry version Mala Xiang Guo Noodles (S$12.80) which I actually found slightly better than the soup version:

Mala Xiang Guo dry noodles (S$12.80) – 7.5/10

Less oily than the soup version, and I feel with the soup version you need to make sure the broth is super tasty; otherwise it won’t add to the dish. As with the soup version, the ingredients are pre-selected. Please god I don’t want cauliflower lol. Broccoli is okay I love broccoli. 7.5/10

One of us got the Sweet Potato Noodles with Beef (S$9.80):

Sweet Potato Noodles with Beef (S$9.80) – 9/10

UNFFFF

OMG I loved these noodles and totally wished I’d ordered them instead!! Actually my friend and I ended up basically swapping lol since he preferred my soupy mala noodles. Anyway wow the noodles were super on pointtttt they were so perfectly chewy and soft!! Loved the beef chunks also which were rather tender, and I think the noodles soaked up the broth better. Yum; would def get this the next time I’m at Le Fuse!! 9/10

All in all I think there’s definitely room for improvement at Le Fuse; the selection of dishes is pretty good so after some tweaks it could really be great. One thing I’d like to see is more customizable levels of mala spice in the menu, as well as the ability to select ingredients in your mala tang/mala xiang guo! I’d definitely welcome any place that serves halal sichuan food so I hope Le Fuse only gets better with time!

Hey guys! So I’m on day two of fasting in London where we start fasting around 3am and break our fast just after 9pm. IT IS BRUTAL 😭 But an interesting experience I guess. I’m gonna break my fast at Ramadan Tent tonight, where there is an Open Iftar event started by Omar Salha back in 2013. There are usually talks by guest speakers followed by a hosted dinner where you really feel like you get to be part of the community. Excited to check it out!

Anyway I wanted to do an update post on Yi Zun Beef Noodles since I had tried a new dish the other dayand they kind of changed their menu design.

So instead of using those erasable marker pens on the old menu like this:

LOL so fun you get to feel like a kid in kindergarten

We now have a proper menu and a paper order chit:

New menu but still with the typos that we all have come to know and love LOL “dekucuiys”. One of my IG followers said it adds to their charm and I kind of agree.

Sauerkraut is spelled correctly but not “noddle” 😂😂

I wanna try all these ugh

Oh man that sliced chicken is my kryptonite.

So my friend loves the soupy Yizun Beef Noodle (S$7.80 for reg size), while I prefer the dry Yizun Minced Meat Noodles (S$6.80) because of all the accoutrements you can add!

Yi Zun Beef Noodle Soup on top for $7.80, vs my dry Yi Zun Minced Meat Noodle for S$6.80, and the cold chicken starter for S$3.20. SO delicious all of them.

LOOK AT THAT DELICIOUS THICK AND SAUCY MINCED CHICKEN UNFFFFFF

I mean so I have been here maybe about 5-6 times since it opened. The first time was disappointing and maybe an off day, and since then it’s been really really good and I even almost feel like they keep improving on the texture of the noodles and the taste of the soup broth. LOVE THIS PLACE.

I also managed to try the Crispy Eggplant (S$9.80):

Crispy Eggplant (S$9.80) – 9/10

UNFFFF

Yeah so I LOVE eggplant, especially the sambal belado kinds at nasi padang stalls (SINAR PAGI OH MY GOD). This was a bit of a departure from those mushy types but I still really enjoyed them! The batter is really light and crisp, while the sauce that coats it is slightly sweet and savoury – it’s almost like savoury pisang goreng. I think it’s a great “gateway eggplant dish” for those who don’t really like the mushy texture of most eggplants (I LOVE EM). 9/10

So there you have it guys. Basically if I could come in a bigger group, I’d have the minced meat noodles to myself and share the cold chicken starter, the fish stew with pickled cabbage, and the eggplant. All of these are total winners ugh.

Hey guys!! Okay firstly are you guys excited about the premier of Ready Player One this Thursday!! I’m pretty psyched! I rather enjoyed reading the book and my friends and I are now geeking out about the movie haha.

Secondly speaking of books, have you guys read The Remains of the Day? It’s this novel by British author Kazuo Ishiguro, narrated exclusively in the first person by an English butler who alternates between telling us about his day, and recounting his experiences/exchanges as a butler. It’s a simple premise, but Ishiguro writes really beautifully and by the end of the book I was like 😭 this is so good. Check this out for sure, and check out his other work too called Never Let Me Go.

Anyway so I haven’t been blogging too much because I haven’t really been in much of a mood to, but OMG last week I went to try Yi Zun Beef Noodlesagain and I had SUCH a great time!!

It’s located at 45 Sam Leong Road, which is like a 7-minute walk from Farrer Park MRT (exit A lol), and it specialises in Lanzhou lamian or beef noodle soup. Here’s the definition from Wikipedia:

The first time I went, they had just opened and about 80% of the items on the menu back then were not available. In fact the menu looked quite different then too! Here’s what it looks like now:

To order, they give you this erasable marker where you can indicate your choices on the menu itself – no need for order chit omg! So environmentally friendly and efficient, I can’t take it 😍❤️

Maybe I have a career in hand-modelling like David Duchovny in Zoolander

We started off with the Sliced Chicken (S$3.20) which is a cold dish with the chicken slices in a chilli-oil type sauce:

Sliced Chicken (S$3.20) – 10/10

UNFFFF GET IN MY BELLY

First of all, all this for S$3.20?!?! Please, no one tell them about this good deal lest they decide to up the price!! (Or reduce the portion lol). Secondly, UNFFF I really, really liked it omg it was so refreshing, juicy and just flavourful enough! It looks a little fiery but in truth it wasn’t super spicy, just a liiiitle tingle (a little Sichuan flavour I think?). Mostly just enjoyed how tender and succulent it was. I am DEFINITELY coming back for these. 10/10

Next up my friend and I split the Yizun Beef Noodle (S$7.80 for small).

Yizun Beef Noodle (Small S$7.80) – 6.5/10

Okay so the first time I tried these noodles, I found broth really bland and the beef slices tough and dry. This time around, I’m happy to report that the broth is much more flavourful and delicious, and the texture of the hand-pulled noodles is still decent. Alas, the beef slices remained tough ugh why! I really hope they find a way to improve it – like okay can they just make braised beef or those pho-type beef slices omg. Anything but these tough ones. 6.5/10 😩

For our third dish, we went for the Fish Stew with Pickled Cabbage (S$14.80). We were hesitant about it at the point of placing our orders, as we were unsure if we could finish it. However, after a very brief deliberation we decided to just #YOLO and get it anyway:

Fish Stew With Pickled Cabbage (S$14.80) – 10/10

BOY were we glad we were so greedy, because the fish stew was just out of this world!!! OMG guys, honestly the broth was unexpectedly delicious as heck – it was mayyybe just a smidge salty due to the pickled cabbage, but man it was the best still. SO flavourful and robust I couldn’t help drinking spoonfuls of the broth alone. Fortunately the other ingredients also held their own – the fish slices were crazy tender, and the cabbage provided textural contrast with their crunch. Absolutely loved it, and I cannot recommend this dish enough!! 10/10

All in all I had a terrific time and I’m so glad I gave this place a second chance after the disappointing first try! I really hope they improve the quality of the beef in their noodles, and for sure I will give it another go in one of my subsequent visits insyaaAllah. You guys will def hear about it (at least on my IG stories) if I do!! 😀

Service is okay, although English is not their strong suit, and sometimes it can take a while to get their attention. There is a 10% service charge but no GST, and you pay up front at the counter when done. I paid in cash so I can’t remember if they accept NETS/credit card, but I’ll find out and update this post. I def can’t wait to go back here!! Go try it soon guys!

Halal status: Muslim-owned Halalicious rating: 10/10 Average spend per pax: S$6.50 Recommended dishes: Everything because the broth and ingredients are spectacular, but I had the Prawn Noodles with Clams (S$6.50).

You guys. I had initially planned to talk about Netflix’s The Crown and how much I’m enjoying watching it because Claire Foy is such an emotive and talented actress. BUT. I can’t even wait to tell you guys about the amazing Chinese prawn noodles I had last week at Deanna’s Kitchen at Toa Payoh Lorong 1 Food Centre with my friend and her husband!!

Seriously I should’ve known it was going to be a perfect evening when this was my view while walking from Braddell MRT station to the hawker centre:

Hashtag alhamdulillah feels

So Deanna’s Kitchen is a 100% muslim-owned, authentic Chinese prawn noodle stall set up by Denise Chew (Deanna), a Chinese convert (or revert if you prefer, I’m not fussed) and her husband Asri Ramli. I read that after converting to Islam, Deanna couldn’t find good halal prawn mee so she asked her mum for the recipe and tweaked it to halal perfection!! The Chinese versions usually use pork bone broth, but Deanna uses prawn broth instead. The story of their interracial love is also super touching; if you guys are interested to know more you can read it on her IG here!

Menu!

I love that they specialise in one thing only (prawn noodles with variations in ingredients and noodles), because you can rest assured they’re focused on perfecting their signature dish. I love that you can customise your noodles too; I really do not like yellow noodles for that horrible lye taste and the starchy texture. BOO.

I went with the Prawn Noodles with Clams (S$6.50) which consisted of noodles in prawn broth with prawns, fishcake, a very generous serving of plump clams, and some kangkong:

Prawn Noodles with Clams (S$6.50) – 10/10

OMGGGGG you guys. I could already smell the fragrant broth when I carried the bowl over to my table to set it down, so I knew it was going to be special, but man, the first sip was transcendental. I loved, loved, loved the prawn broth taste; it was so flavourful and went perfectly with the bee hoon noodles I had selected! Also guys, you gotta add the fried shallots (bawang goreng) because they are delicious and make the already-perfect noodles taste better.

Don’t even get me started on the clams. I LOVE clams omg I am an absolute clam FIEND, and there were SOOOOO many in the bowl! All for S$6.50?!?! It’s madness. The same quantity of clams you buy as an à la carte stirfry dish would’ve easily cost more. 10/10 for this delightful bowl of prawn noodles UGH.

Plump and juicy clams omg

My friend got the same thing as me but her husband went with the Big Prawn Noodle (also S$6.50) – take a look at the photos here:

Ahem my best flatlay attempt lol I just can’t take good photos most of the time

Big Prawn Noodle (S$6.50)

The aftermath. LOOK AT HOW MANY CLAMS!!! From just two bowls of Prawn Noodles with Clams ugh!! ❤

Opening hours for Deanna’s Kitchen

The service here is terrific too you guys. Quick story – after finishing my bowl I went to order 3 more bowls for takeaway. It was almost closing time just before 8pm, and while I was waiting for my order, these two girls came up and ordered what was to be the last couple of bowls. The stall didn’t have enough broth for a full second bowl, and so the co-owner Asri gave a great discount for the bowl! UGH what great customer service. Also because theirs were the last two bowls, he gave the girls all the remaining clams and warned them that they were being given excess clams because the stall was closing, lest they come back next time and wonder why they’re not getting as many clams. Very thoughtful service.

Second story is, I took away those 3 bowls to my Chinese friends who were still working late in the office, and they LOVED it!! One of them said it’s the best prawn mee broth she’d tasted in a long time, and the other one told me she counted TWENTY FOUR CLAMS in her bowl. LOL it’s insane. So yeah while I have no basis for comparison, having never eaten porky prawn mee before, my Chinese friends definitely vouch for the taste and authenticity of Deanna’s Kitchen’s Chinese prawn mee ❤

Halal status: Muslim-owned Halalicious rating: 10/10 Average spend per pax: S$6.50 Recommended dishes: Everything because the broth and ingredients are spectacular, but I had the Prawn Noodles with Clams (S$6.50).

Hey guys! Guess what – there’s a new halal dim sum spot in town YASSSS. We already have a couple in the west (Tang Tea House, Kowloon Express), some in the east at Simpang Bedok (Tang Tea House again, Enak Enak) and finally we have one in a more central area!

The Dim Sum Place was opened by the folks behind The Ramen Stall (click here to read my review of The Ramen Stall!), which is why they are right next to each other, on opposite sides of Jalan Klapa on North Bridge Road. The generic names of both joints are in turns hilarious and confusing (“Hey Liza let’s have dinner at The Dim Sum Place next week I’m jonesing for some halal dim sum.” “OK, what’s the name of the place?” “The Dim Sum Place, literally, hence the caps.” “Oh lol okay.”) but I guess that’s their trademark.

I actually went for the first time last week, and enjoyed the food SO much that I went back again last night, determined to try more things and re-order the stuff I liked. Full disclosure – I went with just one friend and we SPECTACULARLY over-ordered (#ramadanstomach), and ended up packing like a third of the stuff to go 😦

Anyway here is a look at the current menu, which is still in the process of being finalized and edited by TDSP!

The front of the house, concealing the seating areas behind!

Upon entering The Dim Sum Place, you will be given a copy of the menu and the order sheets to fill up:

I think because they’re still playing around with the menu, quite a lot of items were crossed out in red and unavailable

Curious about the congee and herbal duck but haven’t tried!

We started with the Pan Fried Carrot Cake (S$2.90), which came in 3 squares with a crisp fried top garnished with some spring onions and fried shallots, as well as the sambal dip:

Pan-fried Carrot Cake (S$2.90) – 10/10

A closer look

Ooh! I really, really liked this! The carrot cake was savoury and tasty without being too salty. It had a soft flavourful body with a crisp top which provided a good bite. Loved the textures. Plus it’s only S$2.90?! It’s basically free. 10/10

Next we had the Deep Fried Beancurd Skin with Prawn and Fish Paste (S$4.90) which came with a side of mayonnaise and chilli dip:

Deep Fried Beancurd Skin with Prawn and Fish Paste (S$4.90) – 8.5/10

Mm POV shot lol.

Deep fried beancurd skin, prawns and fish paste are definitely winning ingredients for me so I was bound to like this enough. The fried rolls were moderately crispy, and the prawns within tasted fresh. However, I thought that the skin was just the slightest bit soggy and thick – I would’ve preferred a more crispy and delicate skin. I couldn’t help comparing it to the ones I had at Kowloon Express which were more flavourful and also had a better texture. 8.5/10

Next up was the very promising Smoked Peking Duck Wrap (S$11.90) which came with some hoisin sauce as well as a trio of dipping condiments comprising sugar, peanuts and mustard sauce:

Smoked Peking Duck Wrap (S$11.90) – 8.5/10

Yummm duck skinnnnnnn

Mmmm so I’m kind of a sucker for halal duck of any kind, because I love duck, but YUM to find halal Peking duck with the skin on is truly a bonus and a privilege! Personally I would’ve liked for the sauces to be inside the wrap, but that’s just me being lazy to take that added step of dipping (how lazy can you get?). Also I found that the skin was a little tough – I’d bite into half of the wrap and then basically be unable to bite through the skin, therefore pulling out the whole skin with my one bite. Not that big of a deal but yes I’d prefer a crispier skin. 8.5/10

We also tried the Crystal Shrimp Dumpling (S$4.90):

Crystal Shrimp Dumpling (S$4.90) – 8/10

Well this was alright – the skin wasn’t tough which is a bonus, and the prawn tasted fresh, although I felt there was something missing because it was overall slightly bland. Give this a miss unless you’re absolutely craving prawns. 8/10

OK so one of my favourite things here is the Vermicelli Roll with Beef Rendang (S$8.90):

Vermicelli Roll with Beef Rendang (S$8.90) – 9.5/10

OOF guys this was really, really good. Maybe chee cheong fun traditionalists would hate this – one of my Chinese friends said she would’ve preferred the rendang with rice rather than the vermicelli roll, and commented that the strong rendang flavours would overpower the other dishes’ flavours. BUT! Food is subjective and I reeeeally liked the fragrant rendang gravy coating the tender beef cubes. The rendang gravy was just so, so aromatic and tasty. The vermicelli roll is a lot softer and breaks more easily than traditional cheong fun texture, but I don’t mind that here with the rendang. 9.5/10 because last week’s version tasted better somehow than this week’s!

For chicken lovers, they also offer Boxing Chicken (S$8.90), named for the shape of the chicken drumlets which resemble boxing gloves after the meat is scraped off the lower side of the drum:

Boxing Chicken (S$8.90) – 9/10

Unfffff chickennnnn

I rather liked this! The sauce is a sweet and spicy combo, further enhanced by sesame seeds which I loved. The chicken is pre-fried before being coated in the sauce, although I did wish the chicken skin had been crispier. One of the ‘safe’ items on the menu, coming in at 9/10.

And finally (omg why did we order so much food?! We’re FOOLS.), we had the Beef Brisket Noodle (S$12.90). You can choose between dry or soup; I got mine dry with the soup on the side so you can customize just how wet you want your noodles to be. We could also choose between original, spicy, and very spicy flavours, so like Goldilocks I went for the middle one (spicy).

Beef Brisket Noodle (Dry/Spicy) (S$12.90) – 10/10

OK I MEAN THIS WAS DELICIOUS

UGHHHH I wasn’t expecting to super like this but I did!! The noodle taste and texture were on point! Flavourful, and with good bite! The star of the show though was the beef brisket which had equal parts tender-as-heck meat and soft tendon! I loved it! So simple yet hearty. Please give this a try you guys!! 10/10

All in all I had a terrific time at The Dim Sum Place and am DEFINITELY planning to come back again! The food is so yummy!! And I would like to try the congee argh. Service is prompt and well-meaning. Some of the staff speak halting English, but it’s no big matter if you just fill up your order sheet and pass it to them. Last week we pulled a ” (*while pointing to a table across the room*) hey waiter could you tell us what isthat thing on that table over there?”. He kind of got a little flustered and ran away to pull another staff to address our question haha ugh.

OH omg also, you know how you get SO thirsty during Ramadan, and like during iftar you literally have to take drink breaks after every 3 bites of food because you’re just so thirsty you could die? (No? Just me?) I ordered 2 glasses of Green Apple Juice (S$3.80 each) and OH BOY IT WAS SO DELICIOUS AND REFRESHING. Please try it next time! Call them now for a reservation as the tables fill up super quickly, and nothing beats that peace of mind when you know your table is secured at the dining establishment 🙂

Hello everyone! The weekend’s almost over boo! It’s 1155pm as I’m writing this now and I really should get myself to bed, but I felt like blogging so why not.

I wanted to share with you guys a great Hokkien Mee place I know called New Hawa, at Selegie Road. By virtue of its location and late opening hours (ok I checked with the folks at New Hawa and their official closing time is 1130pm but on busy nights they stay open past midnight!) — New Hawa has become the go-to spot for me and my friends whenever we watch plays at the LaSalle College For The Arts.

New Hawa itself is actually at the corner of the coffeeshop, you can see the ‘Awa Rest’ just peeking out between the pillars!

I’ll put the menu at the end of this post since there are so many pages, so for now let’s look at the food itself. Here is the Hokkien Mee (S$6) that I like to have:

Hokkien Prawn Mee (S$6) – 10/10

Truly guys, this is the best halal Hokkien Mee I’ve ever had!! It’s always so basah (wet) and freakin’ tasty, the gravy is savoury af (astaghfirullah what’s this af all) and to die for! As you can see in the picture, it’s pretty spartan with just the 2 prawns and with no squid unlike Puncak’s version, or fishcake unlike Cahaya’s version. Don’t be fooled though, what it lacks in fancy ingredients, it more than makes up for with taste and texture. Just typing about it and thinking about that gravy is making me drool ugh. Please always order this. 10/10

I didn’t really taste the other stuff, but I will leave you with a couple of pictures of my friends’ orders so you have an idea what they’ll look like.

Hey guys! So it’s been a while since I last posted – have been kind of busy with unimportant things like bingewatching The Night Of – omg!! Have you guys watched it? It’s a new HBO miniseries about this well-behaved, 2nd-gen Pakistani college kid in Queens, who goes out one night, meets this cool girl, ends up sleeping with her at her place after trying some drugs and drinks, wakes up downstairs in her kitchen, goes back upstairs to sheepishly put on his clothes and bid her goodbye, only to switch on the light and discover her in bed all bloodied up and stabbed to death!!! He inexplicably grabs the knife and hides it in his jacket, runs the hell away in his dad’s cab that he’d snuck out in earlier, gets caught for making an illegal left turn, is detained, found with the bloody knife, and is charged with murder. The rest of the series explores the possibility of his culpability, other suspects, the criminal system in America and ugh the horrible things that go on in prisons like Rikers Island. It’s FASCINATINGGGGG please go watch now. It’s not on Netflix though! I had to procure it via other means if you catch my drift.

Anyway I digress. I’m actually here to write a review of Encik Tan, the halal chain that serves Chinese hawker fare at very reasonable prices and in air-conditioned comfort. I LOVE Chinese food, great prices and air-conditioning, so I guess it was only a matter of time before I went over like a moth to a flame. I went to the JCube one which is closest to my home, but they have 10 outlets in total – 3 in the west, 6 in the east and 1 at Bugis.

Here is a look at the menu:

I’m kind of a fishball fiend and I enjoy eating fishballs either fried on their own, or cooked in soups and instant noodles! My go-to is Dodo chilli fishball added to Mama creamy shrimp tom yam instant noodles, together with some enoki mushroom for texture! SO YUMMY UGH.

Which is to say, it was an easy decision for me to get the Fishball Noodle (S$4):

Fishball Noodles (S$4) – 6.5/10

I was really hoping for more, but the fishballs were not terribly fantastic. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good enough, but I have tasted better, fluffier, Teochew-style fishball that I was really hoping would be similar to these ones. These just weren’t as tasty or as tender as I would’ve liked. (using tender to describe fishballs is making me a little uncomfortable, I won’t deny it). I liked the soup though! It was light and salty – the perfect broth.

Noodles – I found them a little dry and hard – perhaps more chilli oil would solve that? So overall not terribly fantastic, but I suspect I’ll keep coming back here for my halal fishball noodle fix since the outlets are pretty accessible. If you guys know of a better halal fishball noodle place, let me know!! 6.5/10

My friend opted for the Signature Noodles (S$5) which comes with not only fishball but also fishcake slices, along with some chicken ball (that’s the brown thing):

Signature Noodles (S$5) – 6.5/10

My friend also found the noodles and ingredients pretty average. Nothing to write home about but hey it’s cheap and it fills you up. She rated it a 6.5/10 too.

Group shot LOL

After having the noodles, I was feeling a little unsatisfied so I decided to spring for a plate of Fried Oyster Omelette (S$5), because truly I can’t resist the fluffy goodness of a fried oyster omelette:

Fried Oyster Omelette (S$5) – 7.5/10

This was pretty yummy! I can’t stand spring onion, which there was SO MUCH OF. I much prefer when they have coriander, but thankfully the fried oyster omelette itself was really yummy!! It was really fluffy and soft in parts, and crispy at times too. My two gripes are that I found only one sad oyster in the whole omelette, and the chilli dipping sauce that they provided wasn’t as good. 7.5/10

All in all, I thought Encik Tan is a decent place to go if you’re craving halal Chinese food – the fact that it has its own seating sure beats having to find tables in regular foodcourts or coffeeshops. I might come back for the fried oyster omelette and try the carrot cake too while I’m at it.